Nats’ Joe Ross to face A’s at Coliseum, his childhood home

Updated 11:33 pm, Friday, June 2, 2017

Washington pitcher Joe Ross will make his second appearance on the Coliseum mound Saturday. His first came when he was at Oakland’s Bishop O’Dowd High School.

As a kid growing up in the Oakland hills, Ross visited the Coliseum a bunch as a fan.

“It’s been the same ever since I remember,” said Ross, who’s 24 and doesn’t know the Coliseum without Mount Davis, the regrettable concrete structure beyond the outfield that was erected when he was 3.

“I always loved it. It’s the first stadium I knew as far as big-league parks go. I never had anything against it.”

Ross attended games during the A’s streak of 20 wins in 2002 and was a big fan of Fireworks Nights. Recalling one of his first games, Ross said, “My brother caught a foul ball like right on my face. I was too young to do anything about it.”

His brother is Tyson Ross, who pitched for the A’s from 2010 to 2012, moved to the Padres and now is rehabbing a shoulder injury with Texas.

With the Nationals in the Bay Area for a week, playing three games against the Giants and three against the A’s, Joe Ross has had time to catch up with family and friends.

Washington Nationals starting pitcher Joe Ross throws during a baseball game against the San Diego Padres at Nationals Park, Sunday, May 28, 2017, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Washington Nationals starting pitcher Joe Ross throws during a baseball game against the San Diego Padres at Nationals Park, Sunday, May 28, 2017, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Photo: Alex Brandon, Associated Press

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Washington Nationals starting pitcher Joe Ross wipes his face after he was relieved in the fifth inning of a baseball game against the San Diego Padres at Nationals Park, Sunday, May 28, 2017, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) less

Washington Nationals starting pitcher Joe Ross wipes his face after he was relieved in the fifth inning of a baseball game against the San Diego Padres at Nationals Park, Sunday, May 28, 2017, in Washington. ... more

Photo: Alex Brandon, Associated Press

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Nats’ Joe Ross to face A’s at Coliseum, his childhood home

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“It’s good to be back,” Ross said. “I’m trying to hit all my favorite restaurants.”

Ross has such good memories of the Coliseum, where he last pitched in a high school tournament against Oakland Tech, that if the A’s get a new ballpark, he said it would be “kind of tough for me as a young A’s fan to see them move on.”

Ross has made five starts, two of which were impressive (15 innings, four runs, 13 strikeouts, two walks), but he failed to go five innings in any of the others and has a 6.18 ERA for the season.

Briefly: Pitcher Jesse Hahn (strained triceps) said he feels good enough to rejoin the rotation soon and will throw a bullpen session Saturday. ... Shortstop Marcus Semien(wrist surgery) threw from 75 feet. ... With interleague road games coming, pitchers took swings on the field for the first time. Nothing much to report except for Sean Manaea’s one-hopper over the center-field wall. ... In a June 17 ceremony, the A’s will name C Gate after Hall of Fame pitcher Catfish Hunter.

The sandlot:Adam Rosales and Vida Blue will accompany baseball and softball players at Oakland’s Greenman Field at 5:30 p.m. Saturday for a sandlot game, co-sponsored by Rosales’ charity and MLB’s Play Ball Weekend, a majors-wide effort to encourage kids to play ball.